


hold, pause in the chaos

by tigerlo



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hopefully a bit of something to make you smile, this is just pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 08:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14328303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigerlo/pseuds/tigerlo
Summary: It's a roaring hot day in Purgatory, and Nicole has the perfect way to break the heat.





	hold, pause in the chaos

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so this started as a tiny prompt that got a bit out of control and it's ridiculous and soft and sappy, but I thought it nicer to share than keep it locked in the depths of my google docs. Fair warning, it's just fluffy nonsense, ok?
> 
> Thanks so much to @iamthegaysmurf for being the best beta (and friend) in the whole damn world, and for not laughing at how sappy this was when I sent it to her...
> 
> xx

-

  
  


Waverly can’t remember  _ ever _ being this hot before. 

 

The temperature has been steadily increasing over the last few weeks, to the point where Waverly’s almost sure that hell is coming up to meet Purgatory beneath their feet. 

 

Nicole —despite Waverly’s objections— is actually in the heat of the sun, trying to fix something that’s been rattling in the back of the truck for the last week, more capable a handywoman than either Waverly or Wynonna, and certainly more capable than Doc. 

 

“Baby, please have a break,” Waverly says from the porch, holding two glasses of lemonade. “I’m worried you’re gonna burst into flames out there.” 

 

“Ha, is that a ginger joke?” Wynonna asks from the chair on the porch, spread out as much as sitting in a seat will allow, wearing a tiny pair of shorts and tank top like Waverly herself, opening her eyes a crack to smirk at her own joke. 

 

“Can it, Earp,” Nicole throws from her position, crouched, peering beneath the truck, trying to find the source of the noise before she looks back to Waverly with an apologetic look. “Not you, Wave. I meant—“

 

“You’re grumpy in the heat,” Wynonna replies, cutting across Nicole with an intentionally inflammatory smugness in her voice. 

 

Nicole scowls and Waverly smiles, because it’s the definitive piece of evidence that Wynonna considers Nicole a part of their family —this kind of teasing is reserved exclusively for the people closest to her. 

 

She watches as Nicole looks back down to her task, frowning, before she leans back from the vehicle, smiling a little wickedly. Nicole throws one cautionary look to Wynonna, registering her with eyes still shut as she laughs to herself, before deciding on her course of action. She strides around to the side of the house, filling a nearby bucket of water as quietly as she can, walking back to Waverly with near silent steps, pressing a quick kiss to Waverly’s lips before standing over Wynonna with the full bucket of water. 

 

This playful side of Nicole is something Waverly has watched develop around them with an immense happiness as Nicole has fallen perfectly into their lives, and it’s been something truly special watching the relationship between Wynonna and Nicole deepen along the way. In Nicole, Wynonna has found a match that Waverly isn’t certain she’s ever found before, someone to challenge her in ways that Waverly has never quite been able to. 

 

Small instances like this demonstrate it so beautifully, too, because Wynonna can dish it out, but Nicole has learned to give it back just as good. 

 

Nicole takes a step towards Wynonna, holding the bucket over her before she winks to Waverly and empties the entire thing over Wynonna’s completely relaxed form. 

 

The noise that issues from her, a sharply drawn breath in surprise as Wynonna’s eyes snap open and her hands clutch at the arms of the chair, is nothing short of immensely satisfying, and Waverly watches as a broadly grinning Nicole takes a sensible step back, dropping the bucket to the ground so her hands are free to move into a defensive position. 

 

Wynonna gets up from the chair, dripping wet, a picture of pure rage on her face as she holds her body in a way that Waverly recognises as trying to keep the wet clothes as far away from her skin as possible, turning on Nicole with a hot flash of vengeance in her eyes. 

 

“Oops,” Nicole says innocently, trying desperately to control her smirk. “Sorry, Wynonna. Guess it makes me clumsy, too?”

 

Wynonna can’t even reply at first, her face a picture of aghast disbelief, looking down to her sopping wet clothes and then up to Nicole a few times, as if trying to make sense of what the hell just happened, before the disbelief turns to intent. 

 

“So help me god, I am going to  _ kill _ you, Haught,” Wynonna hisses between gritted teeth as she advances on Nicole. 

 

“Hey, you’re not hot anymore, though, are you?” Nicole says in a desperate attempt to rationalise, shrugging hopefully as she takes a few steps backwards off of the porch and onto the level area in front of the house. “I was helping you, really.”

 

Waverly takes the opportunity while they’re moving towards the truck to swipe up the bucket and return to the tap, filling it quickly before hanging back, watching Wynonna round on her girlfriend. 

 

“Helping me?” Wynonna says with wide eyes. “I’ll tell you what would help me right now, kicking your ass until you remember your damn manners.”

 

She can tell her sister isn’t  _ really _ serious, she can tell Wynonna’s actually enjoying being included in a bit of playful banter more than she’s letting on, and it makes Waverly feel warmer than the sun because moments like this, beautifully carefree, are so few and far between that it’s a waste not to stop and take note of them every single time. 

 

“My manners are just fine, Earp,” Nicole replies, the gleam in her eye shining. “Although, I think yours might need some work —I think the expression you’re looking for is _ thank you _ .”

 

That’s what does it, that’s what breaks Wynonna’s self-control, and almost quicker than she can follow, her sister launches herself at Nicole and they both go to the ground, play fighting in the grass, twisting around each other as equally matched as they are. 

 

Waverly stands back for a moment, laughing to herself at the determined look on both of their faces, watching Wynonna finally get the upper hand before stepping forward to make her move. 

 

She catches Nicole’s eye, looking up to Waverly with her back against the ground and Wynonna on top of her, before she upends the bucket, giving Nicole a second’s warning as the water crashes over both of them. Her sister gasps again, sounding even more horrified than before at the second dousing, whipping her head around to growl at Waverly before her muscles tense to move. 

 

Nicole takes advantage of her distraction, knocking Wynonna onto her back as Waverly takes a few careful steps away, grinning at the surprised look on Wynonna’s face. 

 

“You  _ traitor _ ,” Wynonna says in horror, struggling to throw Nicole off. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Waverly replies innocently, shrugging, and she half wishes that she knew her sister wasn’t the kind to retaliate, but she knows there’s not as much fun in that either. 

 

She heads towards the tap again, preparing a defensive bucket, throwing an eye to Nicole and Wynonna currently locked in a stalemate, reasonably comfortable that it’ll be awhile before her sister can throw Nicole off. 

 

Wynonna is winding as many expletives as she can together in one breath when Waverly catches her sister freeze and smirk, and Waverly feels a massive weight of water fall over her own shoulders. 

 

Her breath catches hard in her chest like the water had been a physical blow and not harmless, and she turns, soaked and disbelieving to a very smug looking Doc, the corners of his lips turned up in a smile, too. 

 

“I guess Miss Haught isn’t the only one affected by the heat,” Doc offers, a picture of law abiding innocence on his face. 

 

He turns, reaching behind him for another bucket, obviously having prepared it while the three of them had been distracted, and Waverly takes the opportunity to put as much distance between her and Doc as possible. 

 

Nicole cuts her losses in her own fight, rolling off Wynonna quickly and cleanly, taking a few steps towards Waverly, as Doc walks over to Wynonna extending his hand to help her up off the ground. 

 

“What the hell took you so long?” Wynonna says, slapping a wet hand to his chest before pressing her wet body against his dry —for now— one. 

 

“I rather thought you were doing a fine job, not needin’ my help at all, until young Waverly stepped in and tipped the scales,” Doc answers warmly, pressing a kiss to Wynonna’s cheek. 

 

“Speaking of which, your immunity ends right now, baby girl,” Wynonna says to her, reaching forward to take the bucket out of Doc’s hands. “Seeing as family means nothing to you.”

 

“Nicole’s family, too,” Waverly replies, standing up straighter, taking Nicole’s hand when she moves in beside her. 

 

“Yeah, well she  _ is _ ,” Wynonna says, exasperated, throwing one hand up in objection. “But, I was family  _ first _ .”

 

“True,” Waverly returns, pretending to toss up her options. “But, she hasn’t forgotten a birthday yet, so….”

 

“Low-blow, kiddo,” Wynonna says to her, smiling dangerously, taking a step towards her as Doc holds back with his hands resting on his hips. 

 

An older iteration of Wynonna might have stopped short at that, might have frozen at the insinuation, but there’s nothing between them now, no slight or grudge held for anything in their past, liberated by the sister Wynonna has been since her return, and Wynonna can take it for the playfully incendiary device that it is instead. 

 

“You’d probably know that better than anyone else here,” Waverly teases, and she has a second’s warning before Wynonna launches the water in her bucket towards them. 

 

It hits Waverly and Nicole front on, catching slightly more of Nicole when she moves in front of Waverly, but still soaking them both through whatever dry clothing they still had on. 

 

“You’re done for, Earp,” Nicole breathes out slowly, and Waverly catches the good natured glint in Nicole’s eye. 

 

“You have to catch me first,” Wynonna throws back in response, turning back towards the tap with the now empty bucket in her hands, and Nicole gives Waverly one quick wink before she takes off after Wynonna. 

 

Waverly knows there’s another tap on the exterior of the barn somewhere, and she turns for that, or she means to, before Doc attempts to collect her neatly around the waist. 

 

She’s quicker than he is, though, just, and she turns her body at the right second to feel his touch glance past her instead of catching, tearing off towards the barn.  

 

It’s chaos, utter chaos, as Nicole manages to get ahold of the bucket in her fight before Wynonna opts for trying to find a bigger bucket altogether, and Waverly attempts to fill the small pail she has before Doc reaches her. 

 

“There’s no  _ way _ that’s legal,” she hears Wynonna cry in dismay the recognisable  _ splash _ of water hitting skin sounding across the yard, and Waverly laughs as she manages to get away before Doc makes his way to her. 

 

He’s obviously moving slowly, Waverly knows, giving her a chance, and he winks at her, standing aside and allowing her to walk over towards her sister without obstruction. 

 

“Doc Holliday, you son of a  _ bitch _ ,” Wynonna growls when she catches him holding back, and she abandons her pursuit of Nicole, turning her full attention on him. 

 

“Hey, now,” Doc says, the smile dropping off his face instantly as Wynonna turns to him with revenge written clearly on hers. 

 

She snatches the bucket out of Waverly’s grasp on the way past, marching quicker when he starts to take a few steps backwards, but Wynonna’s not messing around now, throwing the water, and then the bucket at him, before tackling him to the ground. 

 

Waverly’s sure her face will split in a smile before they’re done, only more so when she feels Nicole’s arms slide around her waist and her warm, but wholly wet body, presses up against her back. 

 

Nicole drops a kiss to the top of her head, her lips lingering a little as they watch Doc and Wynonna in what looks like a fight to the death, before she feels recognisably warm breath at her ear. 

 

“You  _ know _ , I think those two might be distracted for the next half hour or so, if you want me to help you out of those wet clothes,” Nicole purrs, and Waverly feels warm for a completely different reason. 

 

“A half hour?” Waverly asks, turning in Nicole’s arms, the ghost of a smirk at the corner of her lips. “Baby, I don’t think that will be  _ nearly _ long enough.”

  
  


-

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [tumblr](http://tigerlo.tumblr.com)! There are a ton of wayhaught mini fics there that I have been too lazy to post here (but might one day get around to).
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Oh, and the wild-west fic is almost on the horizon btw, friends...
> 
> x


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